My Big Fat Irish Wizarding Family
by breakaway27
Summary: **Sequel to It'll All Be Alright**. Abbygail's life as she follows her true path.
1. Chapter 1

Charlotte was throwing a terrible fit as she began screaming. Sean shook his head when I took the toddler back into my arms. William was gurgling away in his arms with a happy grin on his face. "Abby, if we're ever going to leave, you have to hand her over."

Audrey reached out again, but Charlotte started her wailing all over again.

"Maybe we shouldn't go then," I tried. "We'll go another night, when she's ready."

Sean handed William over to Percy, and then turned me to face him. "Abby, she's seven months old. We can go out on a date night, and she will be perfectly fine. Percy and Audrey will take excellent care of both of them. We have reservations and, if we're going to keep them, we need to leave now." He gave Charlotte a kiss. "Say goodbye, and let's go, love."

I bit down on my lip, shifting my weight nervously. "What if she's sick? She feels warm. We can't leave her. We'll reschedule dinner."

"Abbygail, Charlotte is not sick. She's warm because she's crying. Once we leave, she will stop throwing her fit. Now let's go."

My eyes settled on the girl in my arms. She was sucking on her thumb and gazing up at me with watery blue eyes. "We'll be home soon, honey. You be a good girl for Aunt Audrey and Uncle Percy." I gave her a kiss, squeezed her warm body to mine, and then painfully handed her over to Audrey again. Her cries started up instantaneously.

I winced and started to move to get her when Sean stopped me. "Give Will a kiss, and let's go, love."

Percy gave me a hug after I had said goodbye to Will. "Charlotte will be fine. You two both have fun on your date."

Sean's arms slid around my waist and he pulled me towards the door. "Let's go, Abby," he insisted. "The sooner we leave, the sooner we'll be back."

My eyes lit up at his words, but once William started his crying I was turning to go back to them. Sean blocked my view of them and pushed me towards the door. "Thanks again, Percy and Audrey!" he called. "We'll be back by eight!"

OOO

Sean smiled at me over our dinners. I stole a bite of his pasta, causing him to chuckle. "I don't think I've gotten to eat all of my dinner in the last seven months. Everytime you're there to sneak bites off my plate."

I rolled my eyes and offered up some of my ravioli. "If I hadn't stolen your cookie that first night, then we wouldn't be here."

His hand squeezed mine from where they rested together in the middle of the table. "Things would be different, but we always would have ended up here. Living in your dad's house, sharing a room with the twins, Magdelena walking into our room in tears from sleep deprivation at least twice a week, famiy dinners every Sunday..."

"You finishing up your first year of schooling, with honors, and months ahead of the normal pace," I teased.

He chuckled as he nodded. "That, too. However, it was you that made that possible. Coming home to you every night..."

"Mmmm, that's my favorite part, too. Cuddling up on the bed with Charlotte and William crawling all over us."

Sean gave my hand another squeeze. "They're just fine," he whispered, knowing where my mind had traveled. "Besides, Audrey and Percy want the practice. They'll be married in a few months time, and we both know Audrey's looking like she wants a baby."

"She'll be an amazing mum," I murmured. "I just miss my babies."

He took a long sip of his wine and then set his glass down. "Well let's go home then," he suggested.

My eyes widened, but I quickly shook my head. "No, no. Not yet. This is our time together-our time with no family running in and out..."

"But...?"

I grinned. "But I do have a better idea than sitting in this stuffy restaurant."

He looked around at the formal dining cloths, rich couples exchanging fake laughter, and the waiters dressed in their iron-pressed white dress shirts. "It is pretty stuffy," he agreed. "But this food is pretty damn good."

"To-go boxes," I said simply.

OOO

I leaned over outside the small bakery and stole a bite of his chocolate-filled doughnut. "Mmmm. Nothing better."

"I can think of one thing." His lips found mine and before I knew it our desserts were forgotten.

When his free-hand roamed to the front of my shirt, I pulled back. "We're in public, Sean," I reminded him. He glanced around us at the empty patio we were seated at, making me roll my eyes. "You know what I mean, and this doughnut is too good to ignore."

He chuckled and pulled me in closer to him on the bench. "So what's new with you, my love?"

I sighed in content as I rested my head on his shoulder. "Other than being a milk machine for the twins, playing crisis averder for Leah and Belle, and helping Mags get a good nights sleep?"

"Crisis averder?" he repeated. "What's going on with them?"

I grinned. "Belle met a boy in Hogsmeade, and Leah failed one of her tests-typical teenage girl stuff."

He glanced at me in confusion. "And you're happy about that?"

"It's the one thing Magdelena and I ever wanted for them. They were like our little sisters growing up, so to see them getting a real chance at life..." I sighed, shrugging my shoulders. "It makes me happier than I ever could have imagined."

"As much as I hate having them rush into our room at night in tears from these boys they keep meeting, it does make me happy knowing that the four of you are here, with all of us, smiling and laughing and-"

I broke him off with a kiss. "Sean," I whispered.

He looked down at me with a dazed and confused look. "Yeah?"

"I love you."

His thumb wiped across my cheek. "Chocolate," he mumbled, licking it off his thumb.

I nodded, biting my lip subconsciously. I had just told him for the first time that I loved him, and he was more occupied with the chocolate icing on my face. I suppose that's what I deserved though. We had only been dating for seven months, and even in that time, we had only been on a few dates. Most of our time was spent with Charlotte and Will-

"I love you, too, Abbygail," he said, kissing the tip of my nose. "I love you so much."

OOO

When we made it back to Percy and Audrey's flat, I was surprised to see nearly the whole family there. Charlotte was crying; her gurlgles choking off as she sobbed. She stretched out from her spot in Angelina's arms as tears streamed down her red, puffy face.

I rushed to her, scooping her up and holding her crying body to mine. Her cries stopped the moment my hand began rubbing circles on her back, causing the clock chiming seven to sound even louder than it usually was.

William mumbled incoherently, holding his arms out to me with fat tears rolling down his cheeks. I easily picked him up from Dad's arms and let him burry his face against my neck. When both babies were quietly sucking on their binkies, and gazing up at me in wonder, the adults in the room gave sighs of relief.

"They were that bad?" Sean asked, running his hand up and down Charlotte's tiny arm.

"We called in reinforcements," Percy said, falling onto his sofa.

Charlotte wiggled till she could see Sean. He caught the binkie that fell out of her mouth and let Charlotte cling to him. Her tiny hands wrapped around his neck as best as they could. She kept her eyes on me standing next to them with Will falling asleep against my chest.

"They were just fussy," Audrey assured. "It was to be expected, though. It _was_ their first time away from Abby."

Sean nodded, pulling me into his side and resting his hand on my hip. "Abby threw a fit, too. Very fussy." I glared at him, but he took that instant to kiss my lips. "It was a good thing she did, too. I'm looking forward to a night in with these three."

I grinned up at him. "Agreed."

"How was dinner?" Dad asked, breaking through my reverie.

George snickerd. "You really have to ask, Charlie? They're ready to jump each other-"

Sean held up the bag he was carrying. "We ended up leaving right after we got our meals-great food, but not where we wanted to be."

"We went to the bakery instead and ate more than our fair share of dessert."

"We brought some back for you two," he said, looking at Percy and Audrey. "Didn't realize you lot would be here."

Audrey was already breaking into the box of desserts.

OOO

I snuggled up into Sean's arms as he pulled the comforter over the two of us. Charlotte and William were sleeping soundly in their cribs. I could faintly hear Dad and McKenzie watching the muggle television downstairs. Magdelena had gone to bed an hour after we arrived home, once I had convinced her to shower and let Sean and I watch Sophie. The tiny baby girl was asleep in her crib in Mags' room, but I knew that wouldn't last for long. She'd be awake and hungry soon.

Sean kissed the top of my head after he switched the light off. "Can I ask you something?" he whispered.

"Of course."

"What made tonight different?" he asked. "Why did you say it tonight?"

I smiled and rested my head on his chest. Even though we had to speak in hushed voices, this was always my favorite part of the entire day. It was the time where Sean and I could just relax and slightly pretend that we were in a normal relationship. The pretending ended when we'd both look over and dimly see the twins in their cribs. "Because tonight I was able to see things from the outside. I didn't have Charlotte or Will attached to my hips, or Dad watching over us, or Leah and Belle demanding my attention. It was you and me and it was exactly how I wanted it. I've known I loved you since the day the twins were born. I just didn't have the guts to say it."

"Abbygail," he started. He pulled me on top of him with no preamble, causing my breath to leave me in a gasp. "You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I never, ever want to lose you. I absolutely love you."

I felt my lips break into a grin and I gave him a peck on the lips. "I love you, too, Sean."


	2. Chapter 2

**Merry Christmas, guys! I hope you like this chapter, and I hope you all have a very merry Christmas! (Or whichever winter holiday you are celebrating this year!)**

* * *

"Abby." Hands shook my body repeatedly. "Abby, please wake up. I need you."

I groaned, rolling over tiredly. Sean's body came with mine, tucking itself in behind me. I looked up at the person with bleary eyes. "What is it, Leah? You should be sleeping."

"I just got home," she said, glancing back at the twins in their cribs. "Abby, please. I don't know what to do. He hurt me."

I shook Sean in a desperate attempt to wake him up before squirming out of bed and taking her out of the room. Once in the hallway I was able to turn the light on to properly see her. "Leah," I breathed.

She started crying. "I'm so sorry, Abby!"  
"Shh, shh, shh. It's okay."

Sean came up behind me after shutting the bedroom door. "Who did this to you, Leah?"

"That boy I was on the date with," she sobbed. "He asked me to go back to his place-I didn't think anything of it!"

Sean lead us downstairs to the kitchen, and then went to Dad's room. McKenzie stumbled in, tiredly rubbing her eyes. "What happened, Leah?"

I ignored the fact that all she was wearing was one of Dad's button-down shirts, and focused on her pulling out potions from one of the cabinets.

"I knew I should have gone looking for you when you didn't come home," Dad muttered from behind me. He settled against the counter and threw his arm around my shoulders.

I rested my head against him. "Can you tell us exactly what happened, Leah?"

She winced as McKenzie dabbed at the cut on her cheek. "He asked me to come to his place to have drinks there because it was getting loud and crowded at the Hogs Head. I shouldn't have gone, but I just didn't know!"  
I moved over, reaching down to hug her. "It's okay, Leah. It's okay."

She burrowed her face in my shoulder. "How could I be so stupid, Abby?" she cried.

"Charlie? Where are you at?"

I glanced over at Dad in confusion, but Leah stole my attention when her sobs started up again. Once McKenzie was finished with cleaning her up, I convinced Leah to sit on the sofa, and that's where Dad and Uncle Bill found us a half hour later when they walked back inside the house. "Where did you go? And where is Sean?" I demanded, letting Leah burry herself in my arms.

Dad pressed his lips together, shaking his head at me. "How're you holding up, Leah?" He crouched down on the floor beside us. "Do you need anything?" She ignored him and continued her crying against my chest, causing him to sigh. "Lee, sweetheart, I'm not mad at you. I promise you, I am not."

She turned her tear-strained face to look at him. "But I shouldn't have-"

"You're right-you shouldn't have gone home with him, but I should have had an actual talk with you about what to expect. I shouldn't have given you money and sent you on your way. It's my fault this happened, and I am so sorry, Leah. I'm sorry that you were hurt tonight. He won't touch you again."

She fell from my arms, launching herself at him. In that moment, I realized how true Dad's words were. Sean had just come through the front door with Fred, George, and Rick behind him. The bloody knuckles on Sean's hands gave it away. I swallowed hard as he eyed me. His eyes flashed from Leah's crying form to his hands.

Once I was near, I grabbed his shoulder and pushed him into the kitchen. Sure enough, Fred, George, Rick, and Bill followed us. "What the hell did you do?" I hissed, shoving him into a chair. I rummaged around the cabinet while the five of them stayed silent. I turned back around, potion and towel in hand. "What. Did. You. Do?"

"Abby," he sighed.

I slammed the bottle down on the counter, hard enough for the entire thing to shatter. "Don't you even, Sean," I hissed. "You better pray that Leah never finds out what you did. The four of us want no violence in our lives, and you are damn well expected to follow the same. There are other ways of dealing with this. As much as I love you, I won't hesitate to tell you to get the hell out of here if you're thinking that this is okay. I am not having my children learn that violence is the right thing."

He reached out, nodding. "Okay, but Abby, you're going to cut-"

I grabbed another bottle out of the cabinet and set in on the table in front of him. "Good night, Sean," I said, walking from the room.

OOO

"Abby," he whispered. I stayed quiet, staring into the darkness. He knelt down next to the bed on my side. "What that guy did to Leah was not right, Abbygail. Charlie knew that he would never be convicted of anything. The ministry is still concerned with the remaining death eaters. I-"

"I'm sorry for yelling at you, Sean," I mumbled. "I'm just scared Leah and Belle are going to think they aren't safe here. It's not like they don't know you're capable of hurting someone, but I think they've blocked it from their mind."

His hand found my arm and he gave it a gentle squeeze. "I know sometimes I scare you when I get too close, so you're right. I should have thought about the consequences, but, Abby? That arse deserved to have his nose punched in. No one touches you girls."

I wiggled around and pulled the covers back. After waiting for him to take his jeans and shirt off for the second time that night, he slide in beside me and I curled right up into his side. "I really am so sorry, Sean. I shouldn't have yelled at all. I'm just worried about Leah-I feel like she thinks she doesn't fit in."

He let me drap my leg across his waist as I snuggled closer to his warm body. "She does fit in, and she knows it. You worry too much, love. Just close your eyes and let me worry about things for a while."

"Mmmm, alright."

His lips pressed against the top of my head. "I love you."

I grinned. "I love you, too."

_Had it really been just hours ago we had told each other that for the first time?_


	3. Chapter 3

Abby didn't stir as the screaming continued in the room down the hall. I wiggled out of bed, and quietly escaped the room, shutting the door behind me. I nearly tripped over Daisy who was sitting by our door. Mags was opening the door to her's and rubbing her eyes tiredly. I shook my head at her. "Go back to sleep. I'll check on them."

She sighed. "Okay. Tell me if they need anything."

Choco and Rufus were sitting guard outside of the girls room like they did everynight. I went to knock on the door, but Belle was already opening it. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, she's just a mess right now. I can't get her to wake up."

I walked over to Leah's bed and knelt down beside her. I tried shaking her, but she wouldn't budge. She continued her crying and thrashing. "Leah? Leah, wake up."

Belle bit her lip. "Should I get Abby?"

"Not yet." I sat on the edge of the bed, and rubbed her back. "It's okay, Leah. You're safe."

"It's because of that guy, isn't it?" Isabelle asked quietly. "He did something to her, didn't he, Sean?"

"He did, but you don't need to worry about it. Go lay down and get some sleep. I'll make sure Leah's okay."

Belle sighed and shuffled her feet over to her side of the room before sitting down and staring over at us.

When I finally woke Leah, she curled up in an attempt to muffle her sobs from the rest of the house. "Leah. Hey, Leah." I reached out my hand to her and waited. "I'm not going to touch you, but I really don't want to see you so upset, Lee."

She turned her red, puffy face to meet his. "He could have-"

"He could have, but he didn't and he never will."

ooo

"Please just stop crying," Magdelena begged Sophie. She paced the length of the living room, rocking the tiny baby in an attempt to soothe her. Sophie had been fussy all day and I could see that Mags was nearly to her limits. Draco hadn't been over to see her yet today, that had to be wearing on her. He had gone from being just a speck to a major part of the picture since Sophie was born. Dad was shocked, not as much as Ron had been, though.

I slipped William onto Ginny's lap and went over to stop Magdelena's pacing. "Give me her," I said quietly as I took the tiny crying baby.

Magdelena threw her hands up in frustration. "Why won't she stop crying, Abby?" she demanded. "I fed her, burped her, changed her, rock-"

I turned her around, nudging her towards the staircase. "Go take a bath, Mags. She's just fussy."

"She's not your responsibility. I'm sorry, I just get so frustrated."

"Mags, seriously, go take a bath and relax. Charlotte and Will are perfectly happy right now."

She looked over at the twins were were babbling incoherant words as everyone sat around the livng room. "Will she ever be like that?"

I rolled my eyes and nudged her again. "I promise you that one day she will sleep the entire night and not have a crying fit."

Once she was upstairs, I sat back down between Sean and Ginny and tucked Sophie into my arms as securely as I could. She was still wiggling around, so I did up her swaddle cloth again before hugging her against my chest. It took a few minutes, but she eventually quieted down.

Sean chuckled. "She sure does like to be wrapped up tight."

"Where's Malfoy?" Ron muttered. "I thought he was-"

"Ron, drop it," Dad said tiredly. "Draco's stepping up and helping out Magdelena."

I gave Charlotte a smile, watching as she errupted into giggles. "Besides, if it wasn't for him failing at his first mission, then I'd have been married to him, and I wouldn't have these two little monkeys." I glanced up at Sean when I heard him clear his throat and I smirked. "Oh, right. You, too."

Everyone went back to watching the twins faces light up with excitement as Ron and Harry taught Teddy and Vic how to play Exploding Snap. It was a nice Sunday filled with family time and good food. Dad and Grandma had decided it was easier for everyone to come to his house instead of the Burrow, so the babies could be put down for their naps whenever they needed to be.

Sean was watching Sophie sleep in my arms. He reached out and she latched her tiny hand onto one of his fingers. "How could Charlotte have been that tiny not so long ago?" he mumbled.

I glanced at the little girl bouncing up and down on Dad's lap. "I didn't think she'd grow up so fast either. Or Will."

He slipped his hand into mine after he stood up. "Let's go put her down so she can take a nap."

We easily slipped out of the room, virtually unnoticed. Once we had set Sophie, still sleeping, down in her crib, he nudged me towards our room.

"What are you doing?" I whispered.

He shut the door, tugged me to the bed and pulled me down ontop of him. I started to speak, but he shook his head. "Just lay here with me for a few minutes."

I smiled and curled up next to him. I knew exactly what he meant by his sudden exasperation. This past week had been absolutely exhausting. He had an exam every day, the twins had been fussy so much more than usual, Draco had been caught up with his own work, and Magdelena... Well, Magdelena was experiencing what it was like to get less than five hours of sleep a day. When it came down to it, I wasn't against letting the family watch the twins for a few minutes just to get some peace and quiet. Sean seemed to have a different idea as I felt his lips move from my temple down to my neck.

"What are you doing now?"

He looked me in the eyes and after a moment of silence he sighed. "Procrastinating," he muttered. He leaned back some with his hand slipping to rest on my stomach. "Are we going to have more kids one day?"

My eyes went wide and I felt myself choking on the breath I had just taken in. "W-w-w-what?"

He shook his hands wildly. "No, no, no! That came out wrong! I meant-I meant-I meant-." He sighed again. "You remember how I had lunch with our dad's the other day?" When I nodded, he looked down. "They were asking about marriage."

"M-m-m-marriage?" I stuttered.

"They just wanted to know if we had any...any plans."

I pulled away from his embrace and began pacing the length of the room. "Any plans," I repeated. "Right. Plans."

He let me go for a few minutes as my mind raced. Why would it matter to Dad? Well, honestly that was a stupid question. Dad had been hinting at wanting to know just how serious Sean and I were for months now. I hadn't given it much thought, thinking that everytime Sean gave him a smile and said "Charlie, I love, Abby. I'm serious about her" he was simply putting off Dad's questioning for another day.

Hands stopped me, causing my head to snap up. Sean shook his head at me. "Abby, I didn't mention this to you so you would worry about it."

"Did you want to talk about plans? I mean, I didn't even think anything of it, but you're a guy. You're going to want sex and we can't do that unless we're married. I suppose if I wanted sex, I'd be eager to get on with things. Not that I don't want sex! I mean...I do, but I'm not ready. I don't think I could for a while after Nicholas and Troy-"

Sean collapsed onto the end of the bed. "Abbygail, do you hear yourself?"

"Y-Yes," I mumbled weakly.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and sat me on his lap. "Then you realize that you sound absolutely ridiculous right now. Love, if I were in this for sex, I would be trying to shag you ever night."

"Sean-"

He grinned, kissing along my collarbone. "I'm sorry, love, but you are much too sexy-"

"I'm a mother of twins. You can no longer use the word sexy to describe me."

He winked at me. "I beg to differ. You happen to be the sexiest woman I have ever laid eyes on, and will ever, for that matter. Besides, there is nothing sexier than having you slide into this bed every night in one of my t-shirts."

"Now I know that's not true. That just sounds ridiculous, Sean."

"Mmmm, I swear to you it's true."

I glanced down at my hands resting on my lap. "You know...it's pretty sexy when, late at night, you get up to rock Charlotte or William back to sleep."

His smirk widened, causing my suspicion to rise. "I know. Usually you wrap yourself around me as close as possible when I get to bed after that."

I smacked his chest as I rolled my eyes. "That's not fair. I can never tell when-"

He cleared his throat and his eyes moved down to look at his lap which I was on. "You really can't tell?"

"You hide it well," I mumbled, embarrassed.

"I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment or not." He sighed as the first of my hiccups came. "Abby, please don't cry." I shook my head and tried to shift away from him, but he held me tight. "Abbygail, this isn't the time to talk about this, but I just had a feeling someone was going to mention something about it tonight. Bill said he wanted to have a talk with me later, and I wasn't sure if Fleur had said anything to you yet."

"She asked me if I wanted to marry you, but that's all."

His eyes sparkled at this newfound knowledge. "And what'd you say? If you don't mind me asking..."

"I guess you'll find out if you ever ask me," I whispered.

He chuckled as his thumbs wiped away my tears. "There's my Abby."

"Your Abby is exhausted and was not prepared for what you just told me."

"You could always take a nap, love..." Upon seeing my rejection, he rolled his eyes. "Then I suppose we should be getting back to the family."

I grinned at his words. "_The family_... That sounds nice."

OOO

After dinner, everyone was relaxing together in the living room. I snuggled up next to Sean as Charlotte curled up in my arms. Once Will saw the three of us, he was no longer content on Dad's lap. He reached his chubby arms out as his bottom lip began to tremble.

Dad chuckled, passing over the baby to us. "The four of you can never be apart for very long." Will nestled into Sean's arm where he began to suck on his pacifier. His hand held securely onto my finger.

I looked up with worry. "Is that bad?"

Grandma shook her head. "Of course not, dear. It's perfectly normal. Bill refused to be in a room without me until he turned two."

"It's a reward for birth," Fleur joked quietly.


	4. Chapter 4

**This is just a short little fluffy chapter! Hope you like it! And thanks for all of the wonderful reviews you all have been leaving : )**

* * *

Sean shifted his weight nervously as Charlie and his brothers eyed him. "I...uh... Is Abby..."

Charlie sat down on the porch railing. "Nothing's wrong with Abby," he said simply.

Bill took a swig from his beer before looking Sean over. "We want to know what your intentions are."

"See, Abby's got all of us wrapped around her finger. We wouldn't want anyone to hurt her," Fred continued.

George looked serious for once in his life. "If anyone did, well...they'd be dealing with us."

"I want to marry her," Sean blurted after a moment of silence.

A look of sadness crossed over Charlie's face. "She's only eighteen, Sean," he whispered.

He quickly started shaking his head. "Charlie, she's not ready to get married yet, I know she isn't. She wouldn't be happy if she left home, and I only want to make her happy. I'll wait as long as she needs."

Bill sighed. "Of course he'd have the right answer," he muttered.

Sean tried not to keep eye contact with any of them for too long. He was scared he'd crack and tell them how much he wished Abby and him could marry this instant. "I won't ask Abby to marry me until I ask you, Charlie. I won't lie to you, though. Abby and I did talk about marriage earlier today."

Charlie's fist clenched. "You just said-"

"I didn't ask her," Sean said quietly, shaking his head again. "I wanted to be able to talk to her before she started to realize everyone's inuendos. She gets blindsided so easily and I know she hates it because she feels like she doesn't have any control then. I just wanted her to have her own moment where she could panic and not worry about having to think about who was watching."

"You really know her already, don't you?" Bill murmured.

"Where's Daddy at?" Abby's voice cooed. All conversation ceased as she came onto the porch carrying a baby on each hip. She smiled at Sean. "It's almost their bedtime."

Charlotte looked up when Sean's hand rubbed her back soothingly. She giggled before letting out a yawn and resting back on Abby's shoulder. Will sucked on his thumb as his eyes drooped.

Sean chuckled. "They've had a long day."

A gust of wind had her shivering and moving into his side. "Are you coming inside? Or do you need more time with them?"

Charlie sighed, nodding towards the door. "We're done."

Her eyes stayed locked with his for a moment longer before she handed the twins off to Sean. "Take them inside?"

Once the three of them were in the warm house, Abby moved over to Charlie. "You look like you're going to cry, Dad."

He waved her off. "No, I'm not, Abby. You should get inside; it's cold out here."

She buried her face in his chest as she hugged him. "Dad, you know I wouldn't marry Sean right now," she teased.

He muttered something under his breath causing her to look up at him.

"I like living at home, and we still have a lot of catching up to do. You _are_ my long lost Dad, remember?"

His lips curled up into a grin at that. "He wants to marry you, you know."

"I know," she agreed with a small smile. "You want to marry McKenzie, you know." When his eyes widened in panic she started laughing. "I like her, Dad," she whispered. "She's good for you."

He kissed her forehead and gave her one more squeeze. "Bill told me the same thing the day you showed up."

"I was right then, and Abby is right now," Bill said quietly.


	5. Chapter 5

The pains had been coming and going for a few weeks now. Every time McKenzie was around Dad was right there. I didn't want to worry him with something that was probably nothing, and I knew he would have me on strict bedrest the second he found out that I wasn't feeling well. I couldn't wait any longer, though. Once the pains turned into me bent over, nearly gasping for air, I knew I needed to see a healer.

Grandma fussed over the twins as they crawled around on the rug.

"Everything should be in the bag," I said, going through it once more. "I won't be long at all. An hour at most."

She kissed my cheek and nodded. "Take your time. I hope that you find gifts for these two." My smile was tight and that was when she noticed. She squeezed my hands. "Abby, dear, just tell me you aren't going to meet your mother."

My eyes widened at her words. "Oh, Grandma! Of course not! I haven't had any contact with her since I left. I'm just going in for a check-up."

"Is everything-"

"Everything's fine, Grandma, I promise."

She sighed and looked me over for another moment before nodding. "I trust that you'll tell me if anything is wrong. You be careful."

OOO

The assistant healer led me down the hall to McKenzie's office, and I knocked on the door before pushing it open. "McKenzie? I was wondering if-"

Dad was standing next to her desk, yanking on his hair in frustration. His eyes shot to me. "Abbygail, what are you-"

"Mother?"

She smiled at me. "I did not think I would be seeing you today, Abbygail." Her eyes traveled to my stomach and then back to my face. "I see the pregnancy is over."

"Abby, go wait in the hall," Dad ordered.

I took one look at his clenched fists to know that there was no arguing with him. McKenzie nodded the slightest bit from behind her desk and I agreed. "Okay."

I heard the door lock shut behind me, causing me to sigh. I had nothing to do until I could get McKenzie alone. After twenty minutes of leaning against the wall, the pain started back up. I glanced at the clock on the wall and decided then that I couldn't do it any longer. I followed the signs to the pediatric ward, only to find myself lucky today.

Sean's mouth broke into a grin when he saw me. "Here for lunch?" he said, pulling me into his arms at the main desk.

A pained gasp escaped my lips when he squeezed me too tight. Tears sprung to my eyes and I buried my face in his chest.

"Abby, what's wrong?" he asked slowly.

"It hurts so bad, Sean," I whispered.

He pulled back to look at my face. "What hurts? Where are the twins, love?"

"With Grandma. I went to talk to McKenzie, but she and Dad are talking to my mother. I just want it to stop. Please, Sean. Please, make it stop already."

He led me back down to the maternity floor and to McKenzie's office. The door was still shut, but he ignored that, waving his wand and muttering an incantation. "Charlie, I need to speak with you."

"Sean, not-"

"_Now_, Charlie," he demanded.

I waited outside the doorway until the two of them came out.

Dad looked beyond angry. "What is so damn important that the two of you couldn't wait?"

Sean glared at him. "Abbygail is in pain and needs to see a healer. She either sees McKenzie or I will find her someone else. Your decision."

His eyes flashed to mine. "Your in pain? Abby, what's wrong? Why didn't you say something?"

"I don't know what's wrong," I mumbled, curling into Sean's side.

Dad's hand brushed against my forehead. "Abby, you're burning up. You've probably caught a stomach bug. Why don't you go home and get some rest? Leave the twins with-"

"She doesn't have a stomach bug, Charlie. She needs to see a damn healer."

"Sean, don't overreact," Dad muttered lowly.

I watched as the two of them waited for the other to crack before Sean turned me around. "Fine. Whatever you say, Charlie. I let him lead me down the hall of offices before he leaned into an open doorway. "Audrey?"

"Sean? Come in." She smiled when she saw me. "What are you doing down here, Abby?" She took in my trembling hands and Sean's arm wrapped protectively around me. "What's wrong, dear?"

"She's in pain, and Charlie is trying to write it off as a stomach bug, but it's not. She needs to see a healer right now."

OOO

Bill and Fleur were the last to arrive, rushing into the waiting room. Victoire was nowhere in sight.

"She's in surgery. No, we don't know how serious it is. Yes, she's been hiding it from everyone for weeks," Sean said automatically as his pacing continued.

Charlie bit down hard on his lip, his hands curling into fists.

"What's wrong with her?" Bill asked, settling down next to his brother. "Charlie?"

"Scar tissue and something ruptured. She could have die-"

"Don't say that!" Sean snapped suddenly. "You don't get to say that when you tried to send her home!"

"Sit down, Sean," Magdelena said tiredly. When he continued his pacing, she began to lose her temper. "Sit down, shut up, and try to relax, Sean! Don't think that I won't tell Abby that you were too busy acting like a complete arse! You're too busy being selfish when you should be focusing on the twins!"

He took in the twins being held by Angelina and Molly. They wiggled and wormed, trying their best to escape.

"She's been beaten almost to her death, Sean," Magdelena informed him. "She will be fine."

He collapsed on the floor next to his dad's feet and let the twins move onto his lap. Charlotte promptly curled up and began sucking on her thumb. Will wiggled a bit until he found a comfortable spot next to his sister.

"Maybe it was just one of those cyst things she used to get," Jessabelle said quietly a moment later.

"Maybe," Molly agreed. She put an arm around the girl to comfort her.

The room settled into a silence as the minutes ticked by. It wasn't until the clock in the room struck four an hour later that the door to the family room opened.

Charlie shot to his feet upon seeing McKenzie. "Where is she? Is she going to be okay? What-"

"She had a cyst on her ovary that was pushing against scar tissue. It was twisted and needed to be removed. She'll be fine," she assured, squeezing his hand. "She made it here just in time."

"If she went home, then-"

"She wasn't leaving this hospital until a healer saw her," Sean said quietly. "You're not the only one looking out for her, Charlie."

OOO

Sean propped the door open slightly and my eyes met his. I smiled at him. "Where are my babies?"

He managed something between a laugh and a sigh as he came into the room with Dad. "They're in a waiting room with everyone else."

"They should be home, so they can eat a proper dinner."

He leaned down and kissed my lips. "They want to see you, and then they'll go home for the night."

"I want to talk about something first..."

Dad frowned, collapsing into the chair next to the hospital bed I was laying on. "I should have listened to you and Sean, Abby. I'm so sorry I didn't believe-"

"Dad, I was talking about why my mother was here."

He stared at me for a long moment before shaking his head. "The court case, Abby. That's all."

"Are you sure?"

"I swear to you, she was only here to try and get an edge in her case. You have absolutely nothing to worry about. I'm trying to keep you out of it as much as possible."

I nodded with a grimace. "Alright." I glanced between the two of them who were staring at the bedsheets. "Well, on the bright side, at least I'm not dying."

Sean cracked a grin at that and soon the both of them were laughing with me.


End file.
